Thor Schrock

On Friday I had a small oral surgery to correct a birth defect that has been a problem for the past 2 years.

Oral Surgeon Dr. Andrew Glenn implanted a small titanium screw into my upper jaw yesterday to act as an artificial root for a tooth that Dr. Chris Haag will be crafting and mounting to the screw in about 5 months.

Why Did Thor Have a Hole in His Grill?

I have a genetic defect that results in a missing tooth right beside my right canine. With no adult tooth to push its way through, I had a baby tooth in mouth for over 30 years.

Right before the filming of Next Internet Millionaire, I broke the tooth on a TicTac.  Dr Haag slapped a temporary CERIC tooth on what was left of the baby tooth to get me by for the filming, but we both new it wouldn't last.

2 weeks after coming home, I lost that false tooth to an Arby's Classic Italian Sub.  I was battling with my food, and for the time being the food was tearing me up!

Dr. Haag later extracted the remaining piece of tooth, and issued me a device called a flipper.  Its basically a retainer with a tooth facade on it.  This way if I had any important meetings, I would not look like a toothless idiot.

What Does the Implant Do?

The implant that Dr. Glenn dropped into my jaw acts as an artificial root - an anchor to give the ceramic tooth that Dr Haag will install some biting strength.

The implant was screwed in place with a small torque wrench using only local anesthesia.

After 5 to 6 months of healing time, the implant will be evaluated to ensure my body is not rejecting it, and then a tooth will be placed over the top.

Did the Implant Hurt?

As is the case with most dental procedures, the anticipation of the pain was far worse than the actual event.  In fact, I honestly did not feel, taste, or smell a thing.

Dr Glenn and his staff were awesome and had me in and out of the chair in less than 20 minutes.

He told me Motrin should be all I needed for pain, but I already take a lot of that for my back and since the weekend was around the corner, he wrote me a prescription for Vicodin just in case I needed it.

The good news is that after the Novocaine wore off I am experiencing less pain than I have experienced with many cavity fillings in the past.  This guy is GOOD.  He drilled a hole in my skull and then stuck a screw in it and I was playing Frisbee with my son the next morning.

Nicely done!